What is required for salvation?

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I've been thinking, and I wonder if it might be better to say (rather than 'What is necessary for salvation?') 'Of what does salvation necessarily consist?'
 
...I must say, that a simple Christian whose knowledge of the revelation of God may be very defective, but who really believes it, is in an entirely different position than that of the person who may have a great deal of knowledge, but no faith. Don't ask me how little a person might need to believe in order to be saved. I don't know the answer to that question, nor even if it's a meaningful question that has an answer to be given. But I will say this: a person who does have faith, even "as a grain of mustard seed," wants to know more and more. The true Christian doesn't examine himself to find out whether or not he has the mere minimum that's necessary to be counted as a child of God. But the true Christian wants to know more and more. He is grasping a the maximum rather than the minimum of doctrinal knowledge. Doctrinal knowledge isn't to be separated from genuine experience of the truth that one believes.
William Young, Sermon on Zechariah 12:10a
Young's book is a treasure.

See also:
http://www.puritanboard.com/showthread.php/76264-William-Young-on-Lapsarianism?p=970511#post970511
 
William Young, Sermon on Zechariah 12:10a

Love the quote! It's really similar to Berkhof's ST, p. 504:

The measure of this knowledge. It is impossible to determine with precision just how much knowledge is absolutely required in saving faith. If saving faith is the acceptance of Christ as He is offered in the gospel, the question naturally arises, How much of the gospel must a man know, in order to be saved? Or, to put it in the words of Dr. Machen: "What, to put it badly, are the minimum doctrinal requirements, in order that a man be a Christian?" In general it may be said that it must be sufficient to give believers some idea of the object of faith. All true saving faith must contain at least a minimum of knowledge, not so much of the divine revelation as of the Mediator and His gracious operations. The more real knowledge one has of the truths of redemption, the richer and fuller one's faith will be, if all other things are equal. Naturally one who accepts Christ by a true faith, will also be ready and willing to accept God's testimony as a whole. It is of the utmost importance, especially in our day, that the churches should see to it that their members have a fairly good, and not merely a hazy, understanding of the truth. Particularly in this undogmatic age, they should be far more diligent than they are in the indoctrination of their youth.
 
A person only believes as much as he knows. "This is life eternal that they might know Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." The realisation that Christ is the way, the truth and the life and that no man can come to the Father but by Him. That God is holy and righteous and all men are sinners, and the only way of reconciliation is through redemption by the forgiveness of sin through the sacrificial blood of Christ. Thereafter that soul is to grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is also an ingredient that the resurrection is known. " Delivered for our offences and raised for our justification." So it's believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
 
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